Jon Stewart named most influential man

(JTA) — Jon Stewart has been voted the most influential man of 2010 by the online magazine AskMen.com.

More than half a million readers took part in the poll, which had its results announced Tuesday.

Stewart, born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, is the host of the satirical news program "The Daily Show." He beat out Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who finished second and third. President Obama came in 21st.

"Stewart’s show was once dubbed the ‘fake news,’ but these days it’s become our youths’ most trusted source of information and its host the most trusted man in America," the magazine said in introducing its winner.

"While the U.S. wages war in the Middle East, Jon Stewart has been fighting his own brand of war in the vicious battleground of cable television, leading the charge of personalities and ideals against the behemoth, ultra-right American news media. Stewart may host his ever-popular ‘The Daily Show’ from behind a desk, but make no mistake: He’s on the front lines, and it’s getting ugly."

Stewart made the news recently after CNN anchorman Rick Sanchez called him a bigot and suggested that Jews control the media. Sanchez was fired.

Stewart is scheduled to hold "The Rally to Restore Sanity" this weekend in Washington, D.C. A crowd of at least 100,000 is expected.